Harvard Hires Lobbying Firm Tied to Trump’s Chief of Staff

(Bloomberg) -- Harvard University has hired a lobbying firm linked to key advisers to President-elect Donald Trump as the Ivy League school faces scrutiny over its $53 billion endowment, free speech on campus and antisemitism.

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The school tapped Ballard Partners this month for “government relations and advocacy services,” according to a federal lobbying disclosure form.

Susie Wiles, who co-chaired Trump’s successful presidential campaign and will serve as White House chief of staff, was a partner at Ballard previously. Trump’s nominee for US attorney general, Pam Bondi, also became a partner at the lobbying firm after leaving her job as Florida attorney general.

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Harvard has faced criticism from lawmakers, alumni and donors for more than a year over the way it handled antisemitism and student protests after the Hamas attack on Israel and the Jewish state’s retaliatory bombing in Gaza.

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo, who played a role in ousting Harvard’s first Black president, Claudine Gay, has said the incoming Trump administration should make Harvard a primary target in its bid to reshape higher education. He called for threatening federal funding if the university doesn’t scrap diversity and equity programs.

Harvard, the oldest and richest US college, received almost $700 million in federal funding in the last academic year.

Ballard on its website lists dozens of other notable clients, including Amazon, Google, the University of Florida and the New York Yankees. Harvard’s decision to hire the firm was reported earlier by the Washington Free Beacon.

“The university remains active in Washington in support of higher education and research and works with a wide range of partners, including peer institutions, associations, other advocacy groups, and consultants,” Harvard said in a statement.

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(Updates with federal funding in the sixth paragraph.)

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